


The Cat and the Butterfly

by TheCeruleanWreath87



Series: The Queen's Royal Guard [1]
Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Gen, Neferpitou is female
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 16:49:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15319902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCeruleanWreath87/pseuds/TheCeruleanWreath87
Summary: The Royal Guard Shaiapouf is born. He meets Neferpitou, who decides to make him her best friend. Pouf is reluctant at first, but he eventually succumbs to his new, cat-like sister.





	The Cat and the Butterfly

Shaiapouf fell to the floor. He landed gracefully, striking a pose. He held his head downward, making his two antennae stretch outward. The Chimera Ant's long, slender legs bend downward at a forty-five degree angle. A faint smile emerges on Shaiapouf's face. His amber eyes gazed downward. The blond's hair settled on the back of his thistle purple neck. An immeasurable amount of aura can be felt around Pouf's slender body.

 _It feels wonderful to be of the living once more. Now that I have been reborn, I now have a purpose. I am no longer whatever abomination I once was. I am Shaiapouf! One of the Queen's Royal Guard!_ he thought, throwing his left leg high into the air.  _My only purpose is to serve the King with my life. Everything else is a distraction. I can only be attached to the King himself!_

Pouf's thoughts were insanely vigorous. He jutted up from his place on the ground. He threw a punch at the open space right in front of him. The punch's speed was incredible. Pouf's eyes brightened with glee as he took to the air, gliding along the ceiling of the Chimera Ant Nest. His wings spread to their full wingspan. Pouf flew around, gracefully evading the several pillars that had been constructed by the lowly Carpenter Ants. Calm chuckles emitted from the butterfly man's mouth as he did so. 

After successfully completing fifteen laps around the edges of the room, Pouf decided to descend to the floor. He walked over to the now shriveled-up sac from which he had emerged. With the birth of Pouf completed, it now had a dull, grey color to it. 

"From a sickly green to a depressing grey. It is a fact of life...that's all there is to it...," Pouf mumbled to himself, staring at the dead sac with fascinated eyes. "Now then... ," he began. He looked to his left. Nothing too amusing caught his eye. The blond looked to his right, and saw another empty grey sac to the far right. 

In between the two shriveled packs lied one that was still green. Inside was a large being, one that was still processing.

"It looks like Youpi will finish this race in last place, meaning I'm the middle child. Oh well, I suppose it's time to meet my new sibling."

Upon focusing his senses, Shaiapouf was immediately able to pinpoint the location of a sinister aura, one that was practically equivalent to his own. The second Royal Guard began to walk in the direction of that ominous presence. His blonde hair shook slightly with each light step. He turned his back to the three sacs.

In the room behind him, Rammot hid, watching as the second Royal Guard left the scene.  _That's the second monster..._ , Rammot whimpered. His eyes widened to the same size they had been when Rammot first met Neferpitou.  _This is so much BULL! I had to open everybody's pores, so my new strength means **nothing** now! Now this asshole was just born, and he's already on Neferpitou's level! Why couldn't I have been born a Royal Guard?!? This is so UNFAIR!!!_

Pouf felt Rammot's hostility towards him as he walked in Pitou's direction. He didn't even stop to consider it.  _If there's a problem, he'll come to me. He won't do anything about it._

"Rammot, what is  _that_?"

Rammot quickly darted around to see his superior, Colt, standing behind him. The condor-based Chimera Ant wore a curious expression on his face. "Neferpitou-dono is outside, surveying the area with her  _En_. Do you think her  _Nen_ allows her to be in several locations at once, all while changing her physical structure?"

"No...," Rammot hoarsely replied, on the verge of a heart attack. "That is the second Royal Guard."

"Good. That's extra defense for the Queen," Colt replied, keeping a steady gaze on the now-hazy figure of Shaiapouf. "With two members of the Royal Guard here, we have nothing to worry about. As long as none of the humans have abilities that are worth worrying about."

"They do. Their abilities can't keep up with my speed though."

A lanky figure blurred past Colt and Rammot. Colt felt someone tap his shoulder. Cheetu leaned against the wall, smiling stupidly. 

Colt sighed heavily in annoyance. "Where have you been? All the Squadron Leaders had another meeting. Those of us that remain, that is," Colt spoke harshly.

"I thought I could take on the enemy. Kill the enemy. Get some good food for the Queen. You know," Cheetu replied.

"You're lying. You just wanted to test yourself after learning _Nen_." Colt narrowed his eyes at the childish Squadron Leader. Rammot understood Cheetu's desire to fight the rare humans. After all, there were two kids he wanted to kill himself. He didn't plan on sharing the remains.

 _"True,_ but I _survived,_ didn't I? There was this smoke everywhere. All my soldiers mysteriously disappeared. I simply ran away without making my movements too predictable. You need to chill, Colt."

Colt's glare hardened. "You won't get so lucky next time. The enemy has probably already thought of how to deal with you. You'll get yourself killed."

"Or _will_  I?" Cheetu asked, darting away.

"Idiot." Colt rolled his eyes.

* * *

_Now, what to do?_

"You might as well wait. If they come here, we simply destroy them."

"You have a point. These could be decoys. Huh, what? Was I speaking aloud?" Pitou asked, putting a clawed finger to her pointy chin. Her tail swished curiously.

"No. I simply knew what you were thinking," the calming voice replied.

"Who are you, anyway?" Pitou questioned with a smile.

"One of the Queen's Royal Guard.  _Shaiapouf_ ," the newcomer answered, giving his new companion a haughty look. "Menthuthuyoupi will also soon awaken."

_Nwow I see. So you're Shaiapouf._

_Nyow?_

"Yes, that's correct," the blond replied, removing his hand from his face.

"You can read all my thoughts. Not sure I like that." Neferpitou tilted her hair to the right, giving Pouf a smile.

"Well, I can understand the sentiment."

"But...he will wake soon. That's good news!" Pitou declared, delighting at the thought of Youpi joining her and Pouf. "You see, I haven't been able to decide what power to develop." Pitou looked forward with a smile.

"Well, with Nen, almost anything is possible once you discover your category."

"Well, it's even _harder_ if you're a _Specialist._ There are so many possibilities, I don't know where to start!" Pitou pouted.

"You could start with your name."

"Oh. It's Neferpitou. I don't believe I need to tell you I'm another member of the Royal Guard."

Shaiapouf shook his head. He moved closer to the cat-person that he was now going to see every day. He took a seat next to her. Pouf stared in fascination at Pitou's tail.

" _Nyow_ I understand."

"Shut up," Pitou responded with a giggle. She punched Pouf in the arm. She then remembered something. "Oh! After getting the basics of _Nen_ from that rare human, I decided to see if there were other things they have that we don't. It turns out that humans born to the same person are siblings. That makes you my brother, _Shaiapouf."_

"Everone is born to the Queen. Technically, we are  _all_ siblings," Pouf quickly said, not liking where this conversation was going.

"True, but being part of the Royal Guard separates us from the others," Pitou slyly replied, wrapping her arms around Pouf. The latter was searching his mind for ways to respond to this idea. The simple idea of this was repulsive. A Royal Guard admitting to actually being loyal to someone besides the King, and to extension, the Queen. It was an act of treason. Pitou's casual manner of speaking threw him off the most. He refused to see her as his sister. For the King! He couldn't grow attached to her. For the King! And yet, here she was, hugging him. And he was letting it happen.

 _What am I?_ Shaiapouf questioned himself. His gaze was no longer focused on anything. He looked out into the heavily-forested region of NGL. The King would leave the castle once he was born, bringing them, and Youpi, with him. Could Pouf clean up this mess before the King's birth?

Meanwhile, Pitou was merely testing Pouf. She wanted to see how he would respond to being hugged. He hadn't made a movement since, so he was at least being passive. 

 _Pouf has pretty hair_ , Pitou thought, her cat-like grin showing its purest form. She reached forward to fondle the blonde hair.  _It's not as long as the hair of the human from the other day, but I can still play with it._ Her red eyes traveled up Pouf's hair to the very top. Then, she saw his antennae.

The cat in her got the best of her.

Pitou encompassed Pouf's left antenna with her mouth. She grabbed the right one. Pouf's antennae were very sensitive spots. Pitou was thrown off Pouf's back. She began to fall, headfirst, towards the grassy ground down below. 

Morel and Knov looked at each other. The two professionals nodded. They were standing outside of Pitou's erratic _En_ , but in a location at which the cold see the Ants' nest.

"It would best to capture _this_ one now," Knov stated.

"Just send it to your Apartment Complex, Knov," Morel said. "Even if the chairman can't kill it, that monster will at least be out of the way."

Knov nodded. He prepared to come close to Pitou. Morel was right beyond him. The Single-Star Hunter summoned all his aura. This was going to get tough.

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three!" Both men were about to jump, but something unexpected happened.

Pouf flew down and grabbed Pitou by the leg. He returned to Pitou's post, and set the cat-like Chimera Ant on the ground.

"Why'd you do that? I was fine," Pitou questioned. On the inside, she was smirking. Pouf had already proven to her that she had already corrupted his thinking process. 

 _Let's see how he gets outta this one_.

"It is necessary for the two of us to be together. If an enemy attacked, you and I would need to be inside, protecting the Queen. All the Squadron Leaders and foot soldiers can handle the rest. _Obviously."_  Pouf hoped the emphasis he put on the word "obviously" would convince Pitou that he didn't care about her well-being.

It failed. However, Pitou felt like cutting Pouf some slack. "Let's go inside. I know the humans are out there, but they'll have to enter my _En_ if they wanna kill the Queen. Plus, if I tried to go fight them, you would probably just bring me back. _Right?"_ Pitou turned to Pouf. 

It the first time Pouf had ever seen Pitou actually look annoyed. "Yes, you are correct. Keep using your _En._ That should suffice."

Pitou entered the castle once again. Pouf was right behind her. He mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Damn," Morel and Knov said simultaneously.

* * *

"Listen, Colt. You gotta let me eat them! I need to have my revenge. Now that I have this _heavenly_ power, it's a fair fight!" Rammot grinned demonically.

"It's called _Nen,_ Rammot, and _no._ I've already told. I'm willing to let you kill them, but you may not eat them. Bodies with so much nourishment belong to the Queen. Neferpitou-dono already eliminated the adult with white hair, so you can mark him off your list."

"I don't care about _him._ I'm talking about those fucking _kids!!!_ How DARE those little bastards make a fool outta me!" 

"Your _tone,_ Rammot. Lower it," was Colt's reply.

It was no use. Rammot was several inches taller than Colt, but Rammot's punch had initiated Colt to _Nen._ Colt was a Squadron Leader. Rammot was a mere Officer. He was outclassed, once again.

"I might see if Neferpitou would be willing to start _her_ own squadron," Rammot mumbled.

"Did you _say_ something, Rammot?" 

The terrified feeling from before returned. Except, it had been doubled. Neferpitou and Shaiapouf approached them, walking side-by-side. All Colt and Rammot did was watch in silence as the two active members of the Royal Guard got closer and closer. Pitou's face had the same playful expression from before. Pouf's face, on the other hand, was much more serious. Rammot felt his breaths shorten as the two approached them. He felt as if his light was shortened with each footstep the two threatening Ants made.

"Neferpitou-dono!" Rammot blurted, immediately dropping to his knees.

"That isn't what you said a second ago," Colt whispered, holding his firm stance. He was not willing to kneel before anyone but the Queen. Rammot pleaded with his eyes for Colt to shut up.

Pitou's ears picked up the comment. "What _did_ you say, Rammot?" Pitou questioned, her evil eyes piercing the eyes of the far-weaker Rammot. 

Rammot was about to speak, out of fear for his own life. Colt could not, and would not try to, save him. However, the blond standing before him seemed to prolong his fate for a few seconds.

"Would you like me to _tell_ you?" Pouf asked, looking deep into Rammot's mind. 

"No, it's not necessary. I only need Rammot to be loyal to me when I need him to be. I don't care if he talks about me behind my back," Pitou responded. The top of her head just came to Pouf's shoulder.

Pouf glanced angrily down at Rammot. The green-haired creature seemed to shiver beneath his death stare. He then gave Pitou the same glare, but for less than a tenth of a second. He would rather not have his animosity directed towards Pitou. As for Rammot, Pouf believed those without the power to be disrespectful must be eliminated. To think that Pitou would let him live drove him up a wall.

"You can relax now. This is-."

"I can introduce _myself,_ thank you," Pouf interrupted. "I am one of the Queen's Royal Guard. Shaiapouf."

"So that makes you the one we saw earlier, Shaiapouf-dono," Colt said. He was not willing to kneel, but he still showed respect to the Royal Guard.

 _Earlier?_ Pouf thought sharply. He glared at Rammot once more. The Chimera Ant Officer was not willing to engage in combat with a single soul present in the room.  _This is the one I felt glaring at me earlier. Then he mentions a member of the Queen's Royal Guard without a hint of respect. An ant such as this does not know their place. He must be killed._

Pouf raised his arm to chop off Rammot's head. Neither Colt nor his subordinate saw the Royal Guard's arm move. Pitou's glare was harsh and determined. Pouf immediately knew what it meant:

"Kill him, and the two of us will have some _major_ problems."

Pitou's threat was silent, but effective. Pouf begrudgingly lowered his arm. He then turned his attention to Colt.

"And you are?"

"I am named Colt. I am one of the Squadron Leaders. I trust that you and Neferpitou-dono will do all that is required to ensure our Queen's safety, Shaiapouf-dono."

"Yes, that is correct. You and the other ants will defend the outside. We will protect the inside. That's all there is to it."

"Yes, sir. Come along, Rammot," Colt ordered, leaving a petrified Rammot jumping to his feet. Rammot gave Pitou a grateful glance and ran, eager to be out of Pouf's presence. The two inferior ants walked until they were out of sight.

"You need to learn to relax," Pitou said.

"You need to learn to stop being a bitch."

* * *

 

A typical Chimera Ant carried a cup of water. It had the face of standard ant. It was only larger, with a blue shell and blue appendages. Its eyes were large and black, like an ordinary ant's.

The ant entered the room. Neferpitou, Shaiapouf, and Peggy stood around a small table infused to the floor. The Chimera Ant set the cup of water on the table. The water was filled to the top. On top of the water lied an ordinary leaf.

"You know what to do," Pitou grumbled. There was still a tinge of hostility between her and Pouf.

"The support is appreciated," Pouf replied sarcastically.

Peggy glanced between the two of them, unsure of how to react.  _The two of them are bickering amongst themselves. They're the Royal Guard. The Royal Guard isn't supposed to bicker. This could be a problem._

Pouf set his hands around the cup. He activated his Hatsu. Pitou eyed the situation. Her face said she was annoyed, but her swishing tail said otherwise. The truth was, after seeing what happened for Enhancers and Specialists during Water Divination, she was curious of what happened for the other four categories. 

The leaf sailed around the surface of the water. Pitou's eyes glimmered. Peggy's jaw dropped. He checked his notes in order to clarify the situation.

"Since the leaf moved, you are a Manipulator, Shaiapouf-dono," the penguin-based ant said to the lanky blond.

"That sounds rather appealing. _Manipulation._ I like the idea of that," Pouf stated, shivering as he thought of what he could do.

"As long as you don't try to manipulate _me,_ I'm fine," Pitou said.

"You _interrupted_ me! I was trying to decide what power I wanted," Pouf said to the cat girl. "If you aren't going to decide on _your_ ability, at least let other try to find _theirs."_

"Hey! I'm trying!" Pitou shot back, nearly close to hissing like the cat she was. "I told you how to discover your _Nen_ type. You should be grateful." She held back a balled-up fist. She was so close to punching Pouf in his smug face. Pitou managed to stop herself. "I'm going to the lounge room to relax. My _En_ will keep us safe. If you're done here, come on." She turned away from him. She began to march quickly to this so-called "lounge room".

"Take care, Peggy. We'll be together if you ever need us."

* * *

 

Pouf sat alone, reading a book he had taken from Peggy's collection. Books seemed to currently be his favorite thing in the world. He was reading a very fascinating book about the chronicles of a young boy who travels the world with his friends. He loved it! He has rather content right now. However, the situation has a good side and a bad side. The good side was his newfound love for literature. As for Pitou, she was the bad side.

Pitou was just messing with him now. She kept leaping over him, sometimes touching him. She was behind him now. He gritted his teeth as he heard her fast footsteps approach. She leapt into the air. Her right food stopped off Pouf's head, propelling the older Royal Guard forward. 

Pouf glared daggers at her. Pitou kept the same irritating smile on her face. She turned her attention to the wall. She ran to it, and leapt off it. She approached Pouf from the front this time. She grabbed his head, and propelled herself towards the back wall, her white tail grazing his face as she did so. She did it on purpose. She leapt off the back wall this time. Her big, clawed hands grabbed Pouf's shoulders. She performed a front flip over Pouf. He completely ignored her this time. Pitou immediately turned around. She charged into Pouf, sending the butterfly man to the floor.

"Okay! That is _it!_ Why are you mad?"

"Why are _you_ mad?"

"I'm not. I'm _getting_ mad, though. You're being a _very_ bad kitty," Pouf growled, reaching for his book.

Pitou took it in a flash. It was a motion that would've left all the Squadron Leaders bewildered. Pitou wanted to play for a little longer, but Pouf wasn't having it.

His punch hit Pitou square in the face. He left the fist there for several seconds. Pitou did not move. Pouf slowly retracted his hand from the center of Pitou's face. Pitou was staring at the fist, shocking. Her lips curled up into a playful grin. Her eyes glimmered once again. She tossed the book to Pouf.

"I prefer not to resort to violence, but you were asking for it," Pouf stated.

"Wow! That's the first time someone's actually punched me! The rare human from before kept hitting me with this mace, while I was fighting with nothing but my bare hands!" Pitou's voice was pretty happy for someone who had just been punched in the face. 

"You can try to deny it, but it's useless. You're my brother. You just punched me without the intent to kill."

Pouf couldn't believe he had let his emotions overpower his reasoning. Of course this was what Pitou wanted! Pouf's mouth was still hanging open when Pitou triumphantly strutted over to the butterfly man. She wrapped her arms around his thin torso. 

"You win, _sister."_

* * *

Pouf continued to read his book. Pitou laid across his lap, on her back. She reached upward to play with his hair. Her cat instincts were overwhelming.

"This is still weird, you know. And annoying. I can't read like this," Pouf complained.

"Then don't read. Play with me. Fight me."

"Is fighting the only thing you think about?"

"Kind of. Fighting is what makes me happy. For example, fighting that white-haired man has been the most enjoyable moment of my life so far."

"You're weird."

"So are you."

 "How am I weird?" 

"Well for starters, you read for fun. Who would rather read a book that fight? It just doesn't make _sense,"_ Pitou replied, noting Pouf's slight frown. "Anyways, if you're not gonna fight me, at least scratch my ear for me."

"Why can't you scratch your own ear?"

"I have claws. Plus I'm relaxing."

"Yes. You're relaxing on me. I have long fingernails, though."

"Could you cut them for me?"

"Um, _no._ I'm not cutting my fingernails just to scratch your ears."

 "I said _ear,_ not _ears._ Just the left ear would be nice."

Pitou sighed. He then smirked. Pitou turned on her side, causing her left ear to face upward towards Pouf. The younger Royal Guard scratched Pitou's ear. He watched as Pitou's mouth twitched from the pain caused by his nails. Pouf stopped once the full surface of Pitou's ear was covered in long scratch marks.

"Shall I get your other ear for you?"

"No! That won't be necessary," she quickly answered. Pitou hopped out of Shaiapouf's lap. She stood before him. Pouf instantly resumed reading his book. "So, then. What do you want to do? Our actions are kind of limited until the King is born."

"Reading would work for me."

"Whatever. You do what you want. I'm off to talk to Peggy. If you need me, come find me. I won't be using Zetsu."

"Leaving so soon?"

"Yeah. The Squadron Leaders are probably all panicking. They'll need someone who can actually provide some muscle," Pitou responded, back to her typical cat grin.

 _"Muscle?_ Pitou, you are skinny."

"Well, if I'm _skinny,_ you're _paper-thin._ Oh, well. I'm off then."

"No, wait. I just finished the seventh chapter," Pouf responded, closing the novel. "I think I'll join you. Since you tricked me into admitting that at least _somewhat_ care for you, I'm going to hang around you for the time being."

"Okay, then. Let's go," Pitou responded, surprised.

* * *

A meeting was being held among the Squadron Leaders. Colt, Peggy, and Bihorn were attempting to do everything in their power to keep everything organized. 

"Come on! That was the _second_ time I did it! I'm guaranteed to make through round _three!"_ Cheetu tried to convince Colt.

"If the idiot thinks he can do it, let him do it," Hagya agreed. Standing next to him, Zazan placed her hands on her hips and chuckled.

"What? I'm not an idiot!"

"Yes you are!" all the Squadron Leaders yelled back at him.

"I still say he's just been getting lucky. After the demise of Yunju, we cannot let another one of our Squadron Leaders take on the rare humans alone," Colt contradicted Leol.

"So what? Are you gonna _beg_ the Royal Guard to do our jobs? Not likely," Hagya argued.

"That's not what I meant," Colt assured him. Damn, he hated Hagya. The bastard was so charismatic and clever. He always struck people where it hurt. "No. I'm not going to _beg_ them. I'm going to ask for their guidance since we can't bother the Queen."

 _"Wait...them?_ Has the second Royal Guard already been born?" Cheetu asked.

"Yes, the second Royal Guard _has._ Keep up with the times, moron," Zazan responded.

Cheetu clamped his fingers together. Colt held him back. "The Royal Guard are _far_ stronger than we are. I believe we are safe with them here. Therefore, none of _us_ need to throw our lives away."

"Well, for me, it's not about defending the Queen. It's about killing humans," Hagya laughed.

 _"Bastard!"_ Bihorn yelled gruffly.

"What did you say?" Colt demanded, giving a harsh glare to Hagya.

"I wanna kill humans, but those rare humans outside are getting in my way," Hagya explained, speaking casually. "My squadron and I have been getting tired of being cooped up in this castle. I wanna go out there! I wanna kill! The king of beasts demands it!"

"I second that," Zazan smiled.

"I'm game too," Cheetu agreed.

"So _what?_ Is this going to be the story of that fool Yunju again? Are you guys going to end up dead in some human establishment?" Bihorn raged.

"Like I said, I just want to kill. Is that really such a big problem?" Hagya smirked.

"Certainly not. I live to kill."

Pitou and Pouf had entered their circle, and the Squadron Leaders hadn't even noticed. Pitou' white tail swished from side to side. Pouf took note of all the shocked facial expressions. Both of them loved the tension in the air.

 _"Zetsu._ A technique for concealing oneself from aura-based detection," Pouf explained, striking a pose. He placed one leg in front of the other.

"Yes, this is _Zetsu._ Like Pouf said, you can still be seen, especially if you are as flamboyant as he is," Pitou taunted.

Pouf punched Pitou in the shoulder. She merely grinned up at him before returning to face the Squadron Leaders. 

"If the conditions get worse, we will consider taking on the rare humans ourselves. They are likely hanging around just outside my _En._ They likely plan to eliminate as many of us as they before deciding to actually approach the castle. _Pouf_ here can fly, so I plan to make usage of his ability."

"We will know when something is up, so don't annoy us with your problems. _Ciao!_ " Pouf added.

"Yes, sir!"

"Fun fact: A female with a high-ranking military position is addressed with "sir"," Pouf said to Pitou.

"Humans are so interesting."

 


End file.
